Author's Note: Okay, the vacation is officially over! This chapter will have a few flashbacks, concerning how Juliet and Sawyer became as close as they have so far, it will be continuous throughout the story as well now. We'll see their present, and how they got to where they were before the other survivors showed up.

Heartland:

Chapter 2: Hiding

Stultum est timere quod vitare non potes

(It is foolish to fear that which we cannot avoid.)

-Publilius Syrus

Juliet sat in the cave glancing around as Sawyer had already wandered off to get wood for a fire. She had to wonder, before she fell in love with him, what had been her reason for truly staying here on this island? She hadn't really thought about it in a long time now. But for so long, it's just been her and Sawyer and nobody else. Now she had to wonder when it was she truly did realize how important this man had become to her. It had happened gradually, not immediately. Sure, they had relied on each other for so much, but that was different then from what she felt for him now. She had never wandered so far from her comfort zone for anyone besides her sister before right now.

She shook her head, wondering why it actually mattered so much that she cared for Sawyer as much as she did. She sighed. Honestly, it didn't matter anymore, all that truly matter was that she does care for him that much and that she will keep following him until the end.

"Thinking?" Sawyer asked, tossing some branches onto the floor of the cave.

Juliet glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow up. He had a different pack on his back then the ones she had packed. "Where did you get that?"

Sawyer glanced at backpack and unzipped it throwing a blanket to her. "Courtesy of Richard."

Juliet blinked and looked at the blanket in her hands. "What, no pillows?"

Sawyer laughed, sitting down beside her.

"Why is Richard so interested in helping us anyways?" she questioned suddenly.

"I think we catch his interest," Sawyer replied with a shrug. "Cause of the flashes and all."

Juliet nodded. "I guess that would catch anyones interest."

Sawyer just smiled and put his arm around her. "You gonna miss it back there?"

"Playing house?" she asked. When he nodded she simply shrugged. "And miss out on playing cave? Never."

Sawyer laughed, shaking his head. "You're one of a kind," he admitted with a grin on his face.

Juliet just smirked. He had said that to her once before.

()FLASHBACK()

Juliet blinked under the car as she was suddenly wheeled out from under the Dharma Van. She pulled the goggles off and glanced up at Sawyer standing above her. "Something I can do for you?"

Sawyer smirked, staring at the grease marks along her cheekbones. "Well.. I was gonna see if you wanted to join me, Miles and Jin for some lunch, but somebody needs a shower first."

"Its not my fault you smell like ass," Juliet replied with a shrug.

Sawyer raised an eyebrow up as he stared down at her. They had only been her for a nearly two weeks now, all of them but Juliet had opt'd to stay when Horace asked again a second time, and every time he talked to Juliet, she managed to surprise him. He found himself self-consciously lifting his arm and taking a whiff.

Juliet laughed at his response and sat up.

"That was low," Sawyer stated with a roll of his eyes.

Juliet smiled and shrugged. "Well, I'm sorry. What I meant is that you smell like an ass."

Sawyer groaned. "Ain't that a bit uncalled for?"

"You tell me," Juliet stated, standing up and walking to one of the carts and placing the drill down.

Sawyer frowned and walked over to her. "Is there somethin' I missed?"

Juliet just shook her head. "We've been here for about two weeks, James," she told him, ignoring the fact that most if not all of the motor pool was watching them. "If you really wanted me to eat lunch with the three of you, I think you would have at least asked once before now and not right before the sub comes in."

Sawyer frowned. She had a point.

"If you want me to stay, just tell me, don't go out of your way to eat lunch with me."

Sawyer sighed, running his hand through his hair. He glanced around at all the people watching them now, most women were eyeing him like the ass Juliet had just stated him to be a moment ago. And even Horace was staring at them. "You want lunch, meet us at the cafeteria."

Juliet narrowed her eyes as he walked away toward the cafeteria. She rolled her eyes and pulled her gloves off, throwing them onto the cart beside the drill and walking after him. "James."

Sawyer turned and glanced at her.

"The only way I'm staying is if you tell me why you want me to."

Sawyer frowned. He glanced at Horace who was only a few feet away now with Amy. "I just want you to stay, ain't that enough?" he questioned.

Juliet shook her head. "No," she stated, folding her arms. "I don't understand why you want me to. You've talked to me twice in two weeks. Once before the first sub and you asked me to wait the two weeks, and now, before the second sub comes in, because you obviously don't want me to leave again. I deserve to know why I'm staying."

Sawyer sighed, walking directly in front of her and putting his mouth by her ear. "Because I need you here, alright?" he stated. "You're one of a kind, and I don't trust anyone else here."

Juliet's eyes softened a little as she watched him walk away to the cafeteria. She frowned and pulled the bandanna from her hair and walked over to Horace. "I'll stay."

()END FB()

Sawyer blinked. "Thinkin' too hard now?"

"Just remembered the first time you said that to me," she admitted.

Sawyer eyed her. "That you're one of a kind?"

Juliet nodded.

"Well I wasn't lyin' then and I ain't now," Sawyer admitted.

Juliet smiled a little and laid her head down on his shoulder. "I'm glad I did stay."

Sawyer glanced down at her. "You are?"

Juliet laughed a little. "I really am."

"Why?" Sawyer asked incredulously. "We're living in a cave."

Juliet simply shrugged. "Because I'm here with you."

Sawyer smiled and shook his head. "See? That's why you're one of a kind."

"Well I never expected to see you two together."

Sawyer frowned, he knew the voice, it was Sayid's. "Son of a bitch.." he muttered, standing up. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he questioned, turning to look at Sayid who had entered the cave.

"I'm sorry?" Sayid questioned, glancing at the two.

"You tried to kill that damned kid," Sawyer growled out. "You ruined everything we had."

Sayid glanced at him. "That kid was Benjamin Linus."

Juliet frowned and stood up as well.

"That kid wasn't the Ben Linus we knew," Sawyer stated. "You know the reason why he becomes the freak we know in our time?"

Sayid simply raised an eyebrow up.

"Its cause some crazy Iraqi decided to shoot him as a kid, Jack refused to help him, so he was saved by 'The Others'," Sawyer explained. "That's why Ben becomes such a freak."

Sayid was silent, but he did find himself glancing at Juliet for her views, but instead she simply remained silent. The woman had never really kept her opinions to herself before, and he wondered why she did so right now.

Juliet grabbed Sawyer's hand as he went to move forward. "Just.. let him be, James."

Both Sayid and Sawyer looked at her in surprise.

Juliet glanced up Sawyer. "Sayid had his reasons for wanting to do what he did.. in fact we all had a hell of a reason for wanting to kill little Ben," she stated. "The problem is, none of us really had the guts to do it until Sayid did. And none of us besides him and Jack had the guts to simply let him die either."

Sawyer frowned at her before glancing at Sayid. She was right. "You wanna stay here, feel free.." he said with a shrug.

"I think.. that would not be a good idea," Sayid stated. "It seemed a better plan before I actually came here."

Sawyer shrugged. He glanced in the bag and pulled out the third blanket, throwing it to Sayid.

Sayid caught it. "Thanks."

Juliet glanced at Sayid. "If you need anything.."

"If I do, I'll let you know," Sayid stated before turning to walk away. He stopped and glanced back at Juliet. "You changed."

Juliet stared, slightly confused as she watched Sayid leave. "Sorry," she said quietly, glancing down at the ground.

Sawyer glanced at her. "Sorry for what?" he questioned. After a moment he realized she meant for grabbing him like she did in front of Sayid. For a while, he had never understood why she apologized after she did things like stopping him from doing something stupid. At least, he didn't understand until he had finally asked her about it about a month and a half into being in the Dharma Initiative.

()FLASHBACK()

Sawyer glanced at the man Roger that had been here before he and the rest of 'his crew' arrived. Now they were on week 6, and the man just pissed him off. Always drinking, always yelling at his kid and scaring the bejesus out of the boy. It wasn't right. No one else was saying anything to him, but he usually didn't do it around anyone. But he and Juliet had seen it multiple times now.

Juliet walked up beside him and glanced at Roger and his son. She hadn't told Sawyer yet that the man was Roger Linus and his son Benjamin Linus. She had asked Amy about a week after being on the island. And she was finally getting over the shock that the kid here now being tormented by his father, was actually the man that would torture her emotionally in 30 years.

Sawyer glanced at her. "I can't watch this anymore."

Juliet frowned and grabbed his arm as he went to go towards them. "James wait.."

James turned, slightly angry that once again she had grabbed his arm and told him to wait before he did something. She did it a lot, and even though she always apologized for it, he had to wonder why she did it.

Juliet flinched a little at the pissed off look on his face and let go of his hand. "Sorry.." she stated before walking over to Roger and his son. "Hi there Roger."

Roger glanced up at the woman, Juliet he believed her name was. "Need something?"

"Well.." Juliet said glancing down at Ben. "Ben is a little late for class.." she told Roger. "He'll get in trouble if he doesn't get there soon."

Roger blinked, as though he had forgotten that his son had school. "Damn it.. what are you waiting for kid?" he asked with a roll of his eyes. "Get to school."

Juliet watched as Roger Linus went back into his house and she glanced down at little Ben. He had to be about 9 or 10 years old. "You should get going, or else you really will be late."

Little Ben just nodded silently before running towards the school.

Juliet glanced back at Sawyer before walking to the house she currently resided in with Amy. She felt normal, being able to have a roommate, being able to share secrets with another woman like it was highschool again. She enjoyed being able to do that, being able to bask in the normality of it for the first time in years.

Sawyer followed her as she went back to her and Amy's little residence. "I only got one question for ya.."

"Okay," Juliet replied, waiting for the question without going inside the house or offering to let him in.

"Why do you always say sorry after you stop me from making an ass of myself?" he asked suddenly.

Juliet frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "What are you talking about?"

Sawyer sighed, shaking his head. "I got pissed that you did it, turned to look at you and you looked about ready to run for the hills, then you apologized," he stated. "I just wanna know why you do that."

"I don't do that," she said defiantly.

Sawyer rolled his eyes. "Yes you do."

Juliet frowned.

Sawyer sighed. "Juliet, just tell me what's going on."

"Nothing is going on," Juliet responded. "And why do I have to tell you anything?" she asked suddenly. "You never tell me what's wrong with you."

Sawyer rolled his eyes. "I ain't got nothin' wrong to talk about. Unlike you."

Juliet narrowed her eyes at him. "Everyone has something wrong, James," she told him. "Sometimes we just don't want to talk about what's wrong."

"So something is wrong."

Juliet groaned. "Let it go."

"No," Sawyer stated, folding his arms. "You looked afraid, and I want to know why."

Juliet stared at him. "You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Fine," Juliet stated. "I was married once, before I came to the island."

Sawyer was silent, listening to her.

"When I did that to my ex-husband, he got pissed," she said with a shrug.

"What happened?" he asked.

Juliet frowned, looking away. "I had a.. minor accident," she stated.

Sawyer narrowed his eyes. "What kind of accident?"

"He dislocated my shoulder."

Sawyer stared in shock now. "Your ex-husband hit you?"

Juliet eyed him. "It wasn't hit, so much as wrenched my arm back and told me never to do that in front of someone again."

"And he dislocated your shoulder?" he questioned.

Juliet nodded, leaning against the front door of the house.

Sawyer frowned and shook his head. "I ain't gonna hurt you Juliet."

Juliet just glanced down. "I never thought you would."

Sawyer sighed. "If you say so."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean for you to think I was scared of you."

Sawyer shook his head. "Not your fault. Its that asshole that ya married. We ever get off of here, I'll go kick his ass for ya."

Juliet shrugged. "Don't think you'll have to worry about that.."

Sawyer stared at her. "What do ya mean?"

"He's dead," she admitted. "Because of something I said to Richard."

Sawyer raised an eyebrow up.

"I told him the only way I could take his job offer, was if Edmund was hit by a bus, otherwise he'd never let me go," she said, her eyes tearing a little bit. "Edmund died, the next day, he was hit by a bus."

Sawyer looked only mildly shocked at what she said. "You realize, thats not your fault, right?"

Juliet simply shrugged. "Too late to think about that now," she stated before opening the front door and going inside.

()END FB()

"You don't gotta apologize," Sawyer stated. "You're just keepin' me in line."

Juliet just smiled.

Sawyer smirked, pulled her to him and kissing her. "Ain't no one else in the world that can keep me in line as well as you."

Juliet grinning before resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him. "It's a tough job," she stated. "But somebody has to do it."

Sawyer laughed. "And you do it well."

()()END()()

Okay guys. Lost flashbacks have returned to the story. They'll focus on how Sawyer and Juliet's relationship began to slowly grow into better friends, and then into lovers! I know this chapter was more flashback then real story, but next chapter won't be like that, promise! Sorry I didn't update last night, I was tired and sunburnt and just plain grouchy! The chapter would have turned out just plain angry! haha.

-Flashbacks and Sayid in the caves courtesy of GencoOliveOil, my new partner in crime!-